July.] 



CHRONICLE. 



87 



servant {the deceased) to borrow 

 two spring-guns of a neighbour, 

 for the purpose of placing on his 

 premises. When he borrowed 

 the guns, he inquired whether 

 they were unloaded: he was as- 

 sured they were, for he did not 

 wish to have loaded guns on his 

 premises ; his object was to 

 frighten the depredators, and to 

 accomplisli that, he was going to 

 have a notice put up at tlie en- 

 trance of the gardens. 



Juryman. — There was no notice 

 put up at the time the accident 

 happened? 



Witness. — There was a board 

 ordered to be put up the same 

 day. The guns were frequently 

 snapt in the lock, supposing that 

 they were unloaded, and during 

 the time persons have frequently 

 stood before the muzzle of the 

 guns. On Friday, the deceased 

 was employed in fixing the guns ; 

 about 6 o'clock he left the de- 

 ceased, and went to take his tea ; 

 and had not left him more than 

 10 minutes when he heard the 

 report of fire arms : he ran into 

 the garden, and saw the deceased 

 bleeding in a most dreadful manner 

 from the right arm : he asked him 

 what was the matter ? He said, 

 " Oh, I am shot ; the gun was 

 loaded, and I did not know it.'' 

 The blood ran in a stream from 

 the arteries : he bound the wounds 

 up with handkerchiefs as tight as 

 possible, but he could not stop 

 the bleeding. A surgeon at Tot- 

 tenham ordered him to be sent 

 immediately to St. Thomas's Hos- 

 pital. 



Thomas Peck, surgeon of St. 

 Thomas's Hospital, said, that on 

 Friday, about half-past 11 o'clock, 

 the deccaijed was brought to the 



hospital ; he was apparently dying 

 from the loss of blood; it was the 

 opinion of himself and another 

 surgeon that the deceased could 

 not live five miiiutes. Upon ex- 

 amining the wounds he found the 

 laceration so extensive that am- 

 putation was necessary. The 

 deceased died at 4 o'clock next 

 morning, from the loss of blood. 



Mr. Shelton, in summing up 

 the evidence, observed, that no 

 person had a legal right to have 

 spring-guns on their premises, it 

 being an instrument which caused 

 almost certain death to those wlio 

 came in contact with it. The 

 oftence of robbing a garden was 

 not punishable with death ; and 

 therefore, if a thief was to be. 

 shot by,a spring-gun, and it was 

 to produce death, the owner of 

 it would be liable to punishment, 

 and the jury who sat upon the 

 body of the deceased would act 

 properly in returning a verdict 

 of manslaughter against the 

 owner of the gun ; indeed, he 

 believed they would be justified 

 in returning a verdict of wilful 

 murder. In this case it appeared 

 that the deceased was the servant 

 of the owner of the gun, and that 

 his death was purely accidental. 

 Still the jury ought to mark their 

 reprobation of having such illegal 

 instruments placed in open pre- 

 mises, because it had produced 

 the death of one of his Majesty's 

 subjects. 



Verdict — Accidental death. 

 Deodand 206., and the gun for- 

 feited. 



Incendiaries. — A short time 

 since a number of fires broke out 

 in the village of Exning, about 

 two miles from Newmarket ; 

 there were no less than five fires 



in 



